What Fate Said
by The Turtle Lady
Summary: Kagome's last wish is for InuYasha to save her one more time, but they haven't seen each other in a while. Can her dying thoughts pull him into presentday action? Please rate! Constructive criticism wanted...
1. A Dying Memory

Chapter One- A Dying Memory

She lay there. Her body was twisted at painfully odd angles and she cried blood. The demons came back, again and again, and whipped her legs and her back. She no longer cared; with no nerves left to register the pain, what was the difference? Her only hope was to see him again, before she took her last breath. She remembered his words to her, before her last journey home.

---------------------------------------Flashback----------------------------------- 

_"You're going home, for good this time?"_

"Yes." She zipped up her backpack and struggled to get it on. He helped her and brought her bike before her. There were no words for the moment. Finally he cleared his throat.

"You are used to this life-"

"My work here is done. How am I supposed to return to any semblance of a normal life back home if I'm spending all of my time here? No, it's time to go back to my life, before any of this happened."

"Will you forget?" He stared at her intently while she let the question sink in. She would never forget him. He was her savior of the feudal era, and the one who stole her heart. All that, and he didn't even know it. She would never tell. It would make going home more painful. And he was in love with another, so even the thought was pointless.

"I'll forget."

"But-"

"You've got to understand." She began to walk towards the well. His face twisted in a myriad of emotions, like a baby testing out its expressions.

"Wench!" She continued to walk away, even after his call. But the last thing she heard, as she went down the well, was a sob being choked back and a muffled voice saying, "I'll always be there to save you…"

---------------------------------------End Flashback-----------------------------------

Now she wished she had stayed. He was her protector, her strength in battles and her light in the dark. He was moody, ill-tempered, overly protective, and utterly devoid of any social skills whatsoever. She loved him, and she would never see him again. Her bike, the last thing he had touched that belonged to her, was long gone. The demons had bent it into a mangled metal heap and then thrown it out. She looked at the stars.

The demons came to look at her one more time. She was worn out, but they were impressed. She had held out longer than any of their other victims. But it was time for her to die now. Enough was enough, and she had become a boring plaything. The demon named Hiko pulled out a wicked-looking weapon. It had three bullet barrels and two knives connected to revolving bolts at the end of the barrels. He aimed at the girl's center and shot with no hesitation.

The last thing she saw was a pair of golden eyes.


	2. A Need To Save

He bolted from his futon like he was struck by lightning. The girl next to him groaned a bit and rolled over to his spot, which was still warm. He didn't know her name, and he didn't care. The last time he had remembered a girl's name, she said she would forget him. But he could never forget her. After two years, she still poisoned his dreams and made him wake up every day, hoping to die. He should have said something when she left, but all that came out was _"Will you forget?"_ And she would. Of that he was certain.

He got up and reached for a pitcher of water and a cup. Tonight's dream had been particularly disturbing. It had to do with her and some boys from her world, the very same boys he'd been jealous of all those years ago. Hojo was the boy he'd been most suspicious of, in the beginning, but in the dream he was just standing watch, letting his brother Hiko do the dirty work.

As he paced around the room and gulped down his water, the dream occupied his thoughts…

**Dream**

_She was strapped to a board. The board was propped up against the metal frame of a scorched car. Both she and the boys were outside, in an alley surrounded by trash and grimy walls. It was a slum. The taller of the boys looked up at the stars. They were the only bright lights in this bleak area of town. He yelled for his brother._

_"Hojo!" His brother scrambled to him. "It's a nice night for another beating, isn't it?"_

_"Y- yes, brother, that it is."_

_"But she is boring me."_

_"I un- understand."_

_"This is the end for her." He squared his shoulders and smiled at the beaten girl in pleasure. "Keep watch." With that brusque command, the elder brother took out a weapon that looked all sorts of lethal. He aimed for her center, and shot. Her torso exploded like a firecracker at a summer festival…_

**Dream End**

He put on his kimono and made his way towards the well. He knew the way like the back of his hand, even in the dark. By the time he got to the edge of the well, dawn was creeping over the sky and pink-tinted clouds were lifting the darkness from the clearing. He hacked away at the trees and vines that had grown over the well since it had ceased to be used. Would he get there in time? He didn't even know if his dream was real. The only thing he knew was that he felt he had to save her, save the girl who walked away with his soul in her hands.

He jumped through the well; after the customary flash of blue light, he appeared in the well house of her family. He sprinted up the steps and out of the well house; the dream had taken place in an alley. He searched three blocks before he found the grimy slum; the boy called Hojo was standing watch. The man called Hiko was aiming that horrendous weapon at her chest. He spoke clearly, as he had in the dream.

"This is the end for her."

Andthe manshot her; shot her with no hesitation.The hiding, golden-eyed boyrushed to catch her before she fell down; all he saw in her dulled browneyes before she passed out was gratitude.


	3. Healing

_She woke up feeling a thousand shots of pain in her torso. Was she dead? But she was warm. Dead people weren't warm; they were cold and white; not at all like she was, covered in blood and silver… blood and silver. It couldn't be. She opened her eyes, using her hand to wipe off the crusted blood coating her eyelids. Her other arm was trapped under something heavy. She felt like she was dreaming. Suddenly, a bright light blinded her and forced her eyes shut. A gentle voice, a female voice that was familiar but distant, and lost to her memory, told her to relax. Her mouth was opened and a bittersweet liquid was poured down her throat. She went back to sleep with ancient thoughts swirling around her head; the pain was gone before she hit unconsciousness… _

He looked at the girl under the thatch of the hut. He'd thought never to see her again... But then, with her, things were never really normal. Was he dreaming? No. He shook his head and paced the hut, to and fro, back and forth, until his old friend came back in to take care of the girl. By now, her stomach was stretched with seven months of pregnancy and a young child clung to her skirts. She came in with a basket of herbs and a small bottle of spring water, as well as some healing sutras her husband had giver her. The young child clinging to her skirts ran to him and offered him some water. He accepted.

"Here you go, InuYasha-sama," said the child, whose name was Shinju. He nodded to her before gulping down nearly half the water in the bucket. He turned to the woman, who was near the small fire at the edge of the hut making a poultice for the unconscious girl.

"Sango-san, will she be able to recover?" asked InuYasha, worried, though he tried not to show it. The woman smiled, and the kindly expression almost brought the hanyou to tears.

"She will be fine. But," she told him smilingly, "you need to leave for a bit." The hanyou jumped nearly ten feet in the air and came down with a thunderous expression on his face.

"I am not leaving her here. I have to be with her! I'm staying right here," he said defiantly, sitting down. The woman shook her head kindly.

"InuYasha-chan, you have to leave so that I may wash her. Unless, that is, you want to help," she said, sure that he would refuse. But he brightened at her words, and set his features in an expression of absolute determination.

"Then I'll help. What do I have to do?" Sango shook her head, and told the hanyou to hold the girl up under her shoulders while Sango undressed and washed her. The hanyou blushed scarlet, but did as he was told. While Sango disrobed her old friend, she wondered what had happened between InuYasha and the girl. They had been all right; apart from the girl suffering an occasional heartbreak because of the hanyou's own indecisive nature, nothing was wrong. _But then,_ she thought, _heartbreak can add up. Maybe she just… snapped._

She took a bit of cloth and dipped it in the hot water she had over the fire in a pot. She gently rubbed the dried blood off her friend's body. When she reached the center of her chest, she saw the large hole where the weapon had struck, as well as the lacerations it had caused with its blades. She wondered what kind of weapon it could have been, but said nothing.

What was there to say?

She silently finished her task, and then motioned the hanyou to lay the girl on the tatami mat that her assistant had brought in. When he was done, she brought the poultice she had made and began to spread it over her friend's body where the weapon had done the most damage. After the poultice came a few drops of spring water from the Fuji base hot springs, and all of that was bandaged tightly with linen. After the girl was covered in a loose yukata, she and the hanyou stepped out of the hut together. She pinned the sutras on the beams of the doorway and turned to him.

"Do you mind me asking what happened," asked Sango. The hanyou had turned around, and Sango walked around to face him. What she saw shocked her.

The hanyou was crying.

His shoulders quaked and quiet sobs racked his body. She awkwardly patted his shoulder and said nothing. He said nothing, until he couldn't take it anymore. He took a deep, shuddering breath, and spoke the only word he'd say until the girl woke up.

"Kagome…"

_Her thoughts were foggy. She knew she was clean now; she felt purified inside, as well. But who, and how? Maybe she was dead. If this was what death felt like, maybe it wasn't as bad as people thought it was. She struggled to regain consciousness, but whatever had been poured down her throat earlier kept her from waking up. As she struggled more and more, she began to cry with frustration. She wanted to let go, wanted to be with him and not worry about anything or anybody else, she just wanted him. With a guttural wail that, for all she knew, could have been heard outside, she mentally screamed the only name she'd think of until she regained consciousness…_

"_InuYasha!"_


	4. Soul Shattering Sleep

InuYasha sat by Kagome's head. He couldn't tell what was wrong with her. Sango had said she'd be all right, but she was feverish and restless. He adjusted her blanket for the hundredth time that night, hoping to the gods that she'd be fine. He couldn't bear to see her like this. She muttered and groaned in her sleep, and she was only awake long enough the have bitter medicines poured down her throat. Tonight was another sleepless night for him, as well. He watched her while she slept, and only rested when Sango came to care for the girl, which was less and less often. She was approaching her due date.

_She knew someone was caring for her, but she didn't know who. She heard familiar voices, but she couldn't remember who they belonged to. She was trapped in the muddle of forever sleep, and she wanted out. But deep down in her cottony thoughts, she knew it was going to be a long while before she got better. Deep inside herself, she was crying. It was a terrible sadness, a terrible longing that she'd held closed for as long as she could. All she wanted to do was see him one more time…_

He replaced the cloth on her forehead with a cool one from the basin on the table. She fretted and turned, causing the cloth to slip off again. He fixed it, and resumed his position by her head. Almost unconsciously, the hanyou began to run his hand through her hair in a single, smooth movement. She relaxed a bit, and then, for the first time in at least a fortnight, she mumbled something that wasn't totally incoherent.

"Can't- can't forget…"

He wondered what was going through her head, what she'd meant about not forgetting. He didn't dare hope it was him, because of course, she'd have forgotten him by now. He continued stroking her hair, until she fell into a deeper, more relaxed sleep. He was tired, too, for he'd been awake for a full six days and nights. Even a half-demon could not spend that long without sleep. Lacking the energy to give it a second thought, he moved to the entrance of the hut and dropped on the dirt floor like a sack of rice. He fell asleep almost before he hit the ground.

_It was all a dream, a beautiful dream, one that she could not distinguish from reality. In it, she was in love, and it was a wonderful feeling. Time went by in a blur, days, weeks, months, years, and her lover's face began to vanish from her memory. She struggled to remember; it was someone she knew well. But it escaped her like water escapes through open fingers. "Can't- can't forget…" But she could not bring it back. A sharp stab of pain came to her, and she realized that it was because he wasn't close to her. But who was _he_? Why did she feel a profound sense of loss, a sense longing for the one she… loved? She became frustrated, but that feeling was a frequent visitor and she paid it no mind._

He stirred slightly when he felt the girl wake up. But as he stood and stretched, he realized that she was not really waking up; she was coming into the semi-conscious state during which he was able to give her medicine. He sighed and fed her a bright red paste that Sango said would bring her back from her sleep. It was only after he was done that his mind wandered back to the old days. Back when they had fought together, back when she had needed protecting, back when he could see her more often than not, and back when she was in love with him. He hadn't known it at the time; it was after she left that he was able to interpret her anger when he was with Kikyo, her deep, heart-shattering sighs, and her lonely, silent nighttime tears. He lay back at the entrance to the hut, with his own soul feeling like it was going to shrivel and die.

If she wasn't all right, he wouldn't be, either.


	5. Awake

_She smelled flowers. A small smile creeping onto her face, she rolled over to catch the sweet fragrance. Something feather-light caressed her cheek, and her eyes popped open. Her face brightened as she saw who was above her, tickling her face with his fingertips; it was a boy, young, handsome, kind, loving. His brown hair tousled, he grinned impishly at her and helped her to her feet. He hugged her then, murmuring sweet nothings in her ear and leaning closer and closer. She tilted her head up willingly, but suddenly **his** face flashed from her memories before her eyes. **He **was the one she loved. **He** was the one she couldn't forget. He haunted her reams and invaded her waking moments. She pushed away from the boy. It was wrong; she loved another. She shook her head and tried to pull away, and then…_

_And then the boy became a demon._

_He refused to let her go. He gripped both her arms in one hand with superhuman strength. With the other, he began to rip into her. His talons sliced her shoulder into shreds of dangling skin. Blood sprayed everywhere; she screamed in pain. Clothes were ripped off her body. Head swimming from the agony, she screamed louder and louder, high screams that pierced the happiness that had been only moments before. He gashed her torso; a slit appeared between two ribs. Blood poured, and she became dizzy. Her screams grew weaker, and finally died as the monster ripped into her throat. Blood bubbled out of her mouth and her final thought was for the lover she'd sworn to forget._

Something moved. Always a light sleeper, the hanyou sprang up silently and realized the noise was coming from her bed. He crept slowly and waited for his eyes to adjust. They soon did, and the piercing amber orbs penetrated the hut's darkness. Her covers stirred. He ran lightly to the bed and reached to adjust them. As his arms stretched, the girl sat up like a shot and grabbed his elbows with an iron grip. Her eyes were wide, but blind to him. She was seeing something else. He didn't know what to do; he tried to pry the hands from him and had succeeded with one hand when the girl screamed in agony. Some other instinct took over the hanyou and he scooped her up close to him, rocking her. Her screams died down, and for a moment it seemed that she stopped breathing. The hanyou shook her and shook her, trying to bring the life back to her. Her eyes opened with real sight.

And the first thing she saw was the hanyou. He was leaning over her, his silver hair making a curtain over them. His eyes widened as he realized that she was awake, for real; she was conscious for the first time in two months. He pressed her to him and murmured, over and over again, "You're all right, you're all right," as he rocked her. The girl was surprised to see crystalline tears at the corners of his eyes; the usually unfeeling hanyou was showing emotion. She gently brushed one of the tears away, and closed her eyes. His warmth was comforting, his nearness reassured her. Even though she was feeling a dull pain in her abdomen, a pain that was steadily growing, she was awake, and she was finally with him. She coughed slightly, leaving blood on his robes, and rested against him. She felt like she was home.

**Author's Note:**

This is a very short chapter, and I'm really sorry for that. My real life gets in the way of my writing and I haven't had time to update lately. Plus, I just found a bunch of old stories that need to by typed up and uploaded. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the über-short chapter. Please read and rate! Thanks, KyosBabyGirl.


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